Four Named to New Administrative Roles at Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma

Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma is welcoming two new faces to its administrative staff and has announced the promotion of two others, as the organization prepares to open its 2017 theatrical season.

Beth Adele will serve as the new director of marketing; Andrew Brown has been promoted to production coordinator and facilities manager; Nicholas Bartell will assume the role of director of secondary education for Lyric Theatre's ThElma Gaylord Academy; and Rozz Grigsby has been appointed the director of primary education for the academy.

"These four professionals bring a great deal of expertise to Lyric and are all highly respected in the arts and business communities," said Michael Baron, Lyric's producing artistic director. "I look forward to working with each one as we continue to produce quality professional theatre and cultivate young theatre performers of tomorrow."

Adele is no stranger to the local stage, having performed in two dozen Lyric Theatre productions. She holds a bachelor's degree in music and music theatre performance and a master's degree in business administration, both from the University of Central Oklahoma. Adele is currently pursuing a human resource development doctorate from the University of Texas at Tyler. She's been a featured performer in the Oklahoma City Philharmonic Pops holiday concerts and previously instructed vocal students at Lyric's ThElma Gaylord Academy.

Brown, who previously served as Lyric at the Plaza's house manager, will be responsible for coordinating production and facility needs, including budgets, staffing, security and meetings. He earned a master's of fine arts degree in production management from Boston University and his bachelor's degree in stage design from the University of Oklahoma. Previously, Brown has been employed by the Cape Playhouse in Cape Cod, Mass., the Huntington Theatre Company in Boston, and Chicago's Goodman Theatre.

A graduate of the OU School of Drama, Bartell is Lyric's dialect coach for mainstage productions. As a public school teacher, he established the first theatre class at Jackson Middle School in the Oklahoma City School District and, most recently, created Longfellow's Loaded Baked Potato, a sketch comedy show written, performed and crewed entirely by students, in the Norman School District.

Grigsby, who previously served as Lyric's group and community engagement coordinator, earned a bachelor's degree in theatre arts from UCO and attended the University of Central Florida's Theatre for Young Audience master's program. While in Florida, Grigsby established a creative drama program for a foster care center, and at the Orlando Repertory Theatre, she developed theatre education curriculum for pre-kindergarten through eighth grade students. Grigsby returned to Oklahoma City in 2007, where she served as the director of education at Oklahoma Children's Theatre.

Together, Bartell and Grigsby will oversee the academy, which has served thousands of students since its founding in 2001. Alumni of the program have gone on to careers in Hollywood, on television and Broadway. The academy offers acting, vocal and dance lessons, in both group and individual settings, and students have the opportunity to audition and perform in full-scale productions on the Plaza Theatre stage.

Founded in 1963, Lyric is Oklahoma's leading professional theatre company. For over 50 years, Lyric has produced classic and contemporary musicals and plays featuring both nationally known Broadway stars and local favorites. Lyric produces four large-scale, fully orchestrated musicals at the Civic Center Music Hall each summer, as well as four smaller works at the Plaza Theatre during the spring, fall and winter. Lyric's ThElma Gaylord Academy is a professional training ground for students ages 5-18 offering classes in all aspects of musical theatre. Academy students have the opportunity to perform in two full-scale productions each year on the Plaza Theatre stage. Lyric is a member agency of Allied Arts. For more information, visit LyricTheatreOKC.com.

Pictured: Lyric's newest administrators are, front row, left to right, Beth Adele and Rozz Grigsby, and back row, left to right, Andrew Brown and Nicholas Bartell.

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